Basket ball target bounce-away device

ABSTRACT

In a preferred embodiment, a hemispherically shaped inflatable enclosure structure having a flat faced base with circumscribing flange extensions of the base having flange apertures through which mounting bolts are insertable for the mounting thereof in a position spaced above a basket ball basket, for the mounting of the hemispherically shaped inflatable enclosure structure on a forwardly facing broad front surface of a basket ball backboard, preferably including as a part of the combination the backboard and basket ball board, with a suitably located inlet-valve for inserting therethrough compressed air into the inflatable enclosure structure. Alternatively the device may be a substantially hemispherical member of flexed ribs and flexed cross supports, a cylindrical section of resilient material or a triangular wedge of resilient material.

United States Patent [191 Miller [4 *Oct. 7, 1975 [76] Inventor: Edwin H. Miller, Box No. 199,

R.F.D. No. 4, Lakewood Road,

Freehold, NJ. 07728 Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Jan. 23, 1985, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Mar. 11, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 450,059

3,001,790 9/1961 Pratt 273/102 R X 3,176,982 4/1965 ODaniell... 272/1 B 3,365,196 1/1968 Miller 273/1 5 A R1,399 2/1863 Clark 16/86 A Primary ExaminerPaul E. Shapiro [57] ABSTRACT In a preferred embodiment, a hemispherically shaped inflatable enclosure structurehaving a flat faced base with circumscribing flange extensions of the base having flange apertures through which mounting bolts are insertable for the mounting thereof in a position spaced above a basket ball basket, for the mounting of the hemispherically shaped inflatable enclosure structure on a forwardly facing broad front surface of a basket ball backboard, preferably including as a part of the combination the backboard and basket ball board, with a suitably located inlet-valve for inserting therethrough compressed air into the inflatable enclosure structure. Alternatively-the device may be a substantially hemispherical member of flexed ribs and flexed cross supports, a cylindrical section of resilient material or a triangular wedge of resilient material.

2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures US. Patent 0a. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of 2 3,910,575

BASKET BALL TARGET BOUNCE-AWAY DEVICE This invention relatestoiatraining device for training orpracticing in shooting abasket ball .at'the basket ball Prior to the present invention, there has existed an unfulfilled need by basket ball playersof all types such as high school, college and professional to require the player to shoot the basket ball for the basket rather thanfor the-backboard, it being. more-important to concentrate on direct basket shots :rather than "backboard shots since the percentage of success insofaras probabilities is muchxgreater'for 'direct shotsthanfor re bound backboard shotselrrespe'ctive,of; how often a coach emphasizes the importance-of shooting for the basket rather than the backboard, playei's continue to rely heavily-onthe backboard; lt'is of coursetrue that:

during actual play unless-the present device of this invention'be adopted =fo-r real play to thereby improve the quality of the-game that the'ba'ckboard'r emains available for achieving successful backboard rebound shots, but the overall high scoring possibilities of the player are nevertheless enhanced by practice using the present invention, as'for example 'hasbeendemonstrated bya profession "well-known player of basket ball. Concentration on the basket is criticaland it is important to compel the player during practice to rely solely on concentration toward achieving direct basket shots. i V

In order to-a'chieve this desired end, the present in ventor has experimented with a'variety of shapesand materials and devices, eliminating 'many possibilities as totally unsuitable and substantially inoperative For example, the hemisphericallyshaped device is important compared to triangular or square or as compared to mere planar shaped surfaces that might project to prevent overhead backboard shots and/or sidewardly approaching backboard shots. It has also been found, for example that asolid rubber material does fiotperforr'n satisfactorilybecause the rubber continues to give-in against forceful blow by an impelled basket ball thereagainst, such that the ball after striking the solid rubber may nevertheless continue on its way toward and into the basket from what would have been a backboard rebound shot. In like manner it was determined that a solid pad or plastic or wood model has too great a rigidity as to perform satisfactorily, in actual trial, such as in US. Pat. No. 3,365,196, for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DISCLOSURE Accordingly, objects of the present invention include the obtaining of an operative backboard rebound effective device for diverting a shot basket ball from the basket whenever such shot ball would first rebound against the backboard, while avoiding the difficulties and problems of the type discussed above and while achieving the fulfillment of the above-stated training need.

Other objects become apparent from the preceeding and following disclosure.

One or more objects of the present invention are obtained by the invention as defined herein.

Broadly the invention includes a hemispherical very resilient structure which exerts increased degrees of resistance as the intensity of force of the impelled basket ball increases or continues, or as the ball moves (by virtue of the greater force) closer toward the center of the convexly shaped surface the magnitude of resistance increasing. This is accomplished for example in one embodiment by having metal flexed ribs-anchored at each of opposite ends thereof with cross-support flexed brace members, both the ribs and the brace members yielding resiliently against theforceful blow of a basket ball but the yielding of'the ribs and the brace members requiring each greater and greater force to continue to progressively further bend or flex the ribs and/or brace members. In a preferred embodiment, there is provided what is equivalent to half of a basket ball mounted with its half-point flat base-face flushly against the backboardatapoint space a desired and/or predetermined distance above the basket ball basket, such that the compressed gas place therein, such as compressed air inserted through an appropriate valve, serves to. offer,

greater and greater resistance as the hemispherically shaped enclosure :structure becomes greater and greater compressed in the greater compression of the air within as the impelled .ball presses further and fur-. ther inwardly the outer surface of the enclosure structure. The material out of which the enclosure structure may be made may be leather or plastic or may have an inside l o cated innertube, or the like, all being consistent with the present invention. Preferably the base of the enclosure structure includes a circumscribing flangeasthe preferred mechanism ofmounting the enclosurestructure onto a forward broad face of the backboard, through apertures in the flange. However,

equivalent other desired or conventional mounting mechanisms for other somewhat similar structures may be employed for-the mounting thereof. Typically bolts and nuts areemployed' for the mounting-the bolts extending throughthe backboard. The deflector may be solid highly elastic foam or rubber.

The invention may be'better understood by reference to-the figures as follow. I

FIG. 1 illustrates aperspective front-side view of a preferred embodiment of the present inventive training device. j 1

FIG. 2 illustrates an in-part view in cross-section as taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1. i

FIG. 3, illustrates a view comparable to that of FIG.

I, but for an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a view comparable to that of FIG. 1, except being a cross-sectional view along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5, in a view comparable to that of FIG. 1, illustrates in perspective view a typical alternate embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view as taken along line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view as taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 each illustrate in perspective view still other alternate embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates in exploded in-part view in partial cross-section, a lower mounting-structure end of the deflector element of the FIG. 9 embodiment, together with the basket mounting structure relative thereto.

FIG. 11 illustes a side-cross-sectional view of a still further alternate embodiment mountable in forward or DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In greater detail, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an alternate embodiment thereof. In particular, FIGS. 1 and 2 disclose the larger combination 4 of the backboard 11 and rebound device 5, while FIG. 2 illustrates the overall rebound device 5 and its inclusive elements. The backboard of FIG. 1 is supported on support elements 13, and the basket ball basket is mounted by its mounting structure 12 on the backboard 11, with the backboard 11 having the rebound device 5 mounted on the same forward face the basket and spaced above the mounting element 12, and the rebound device 5 including a hemispherically shaped compressed-air-containing structure 6 with valve 9 for inserting therethrough into the enclosure space 10. Circumseribingly around the base of the structure is included a laterally extending flange 7 having mounting apertures 14 (see FIG. 2) with bolts 8 and 8 securing the device 5 to the backboard 11. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, the corresponding numerals such as 7a and 8a correspond in identification of similar parts to the FIGS. 1 and 2 numerals such as 7 and 8 for example. Additionally identified, however are the ribs 611a and the bracing flexable strips 6a and circumscribing support ring 6aaa.

It is within the scope and spirit of the present invention to make such modifications and variations and substitution of equivalents as would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in this field. However, a firm or rigid deflector is inoperative.

By virtue of the elements of the present invention as described above, it is possible for the player or student player to practice shooting for the basket, whereas if The resilient means may optionally convex in only one plane, such as about half a cylinder (as a cylinder split down the longitudinal axis thereof), or as a halfcuboid of triangular cross-section, or the like, for example. as in FIGS. 5, 8, 9 and 11.

Also, when of the preferred hemispherical shape, it is possible to mount the rebound device backwardly, since the same resiliency would be obtained. Accordingly. FIG. 1 1 illustrates a typical hemispherically shaped foam-rubber deflector 62 body embodying rigid typically metal female element 19 mounted on male projection 20 by mating helical screw threads, the element 20 having base flanges 21 spring biased by diametrically-oppositely directed biasing springs 23 within a support structure 22 mounted by bolts 24 and nuts 25. On the upper face are the flanges 73 and firming support 18 with mounting apertures 262 for use when mounting this surface member 18 against the board 11 without the support element 22.

FIGS. 2, 6, and 7 illustrate the nature of inner flange or rim 16 around which the inflatable member 6, 6b, respectively is adheasively or otherwise securable, rim l6 leaning inwardly.

FIG. 10 illustrates the FIG. 9 mounting flange 6d of the deflector 60' structure, defining slots spaces 17 for the bolt mounting thereof, together with the basketmounting structure 12d.

I claim:

1. A basketball backboard rebound device comprising in combination: angular projection-shaped substantially firm and resilient means for resisting a substantial amount of recoil within a predetermined range when struck with force-blows by an impelled basketball, and mounting means having at least two securing elements located at diametrically opposite edges of a diameter of the respective shaped resilient means, said resilient means being substantially hemispherically shaped and having a plurality of flexed ribs and flexed crosssupports therefor.

2. A basketball backboard rebound device of claim 1, in which the ribs and cross-supports are each of 

1. A basketball backboard rebound device comprising in combination: angular projection-shaped substantially firm and resilient means for resisting a substantial amount of recoil within a predetermined range when struck with force-blows by aN impelled basketball, and mounting means having at least two securing elements located at diametrically opposite edges of a diameter of the respective shaped resilient means, said resilient means being substantially hemispherically shaped and having a plurality of flexed ribs and flexed cross-supports therefor.
 2. A basket ball backboard rebound device of claim 1, in which the ribs and cross-supports are each of metal. 